Friday, January 24, 2014

Here I am at Sundance! I still can't believe I can say those words. After a month and a half of preparation, planning and postcard printing it feels like the end of a long journey on the start of the first day.
I arrived at my relative's mountain house last Thursday and sleepily looked out upon the gorgeous mountain landscape of Park City. It's cold and snowy and there are unreal views everywhere you turn. I couldn't imagine a more unlikely yet perfect setting to snuggle in and watch some films. The festival kicked off with a huge opening party and a lodge up in the hills. I was too busy dancing to take any photos.

The following day my film Passer Passer premiered at the Redstone theater in Park City. I'd seen the film on a big screen before, but nothing can match the excitement of a premiere at Sundance, plus hearing the sound mix in 5.1 surround for the first time. That's me on the right and on the left is the insanely talented sound designer Katie Gately, also a USC alum, who did sound work on the film.

Saturday was the director's brunch up at the Sundance Resort, a unique gathering exclusively for directors who have films in the festival. After a delicious spread of food, Robert Redford shared his thoughts on the creation and evolution of the festival. He admitted that the idea of a festival up in the mountains in the middle of the winter sounded crazy when he first proposed it. But the peculiar location of the festival is actually its greatest asset. Filmmakers and fans can escape to nature and indulge in a week of pure film. Later on Mr. Redford was very gracious in chatting and snapping photos with any director who wanted to, and I somehow managed to sneak my way up there.